Why is understanding the nature of science important to studying the origin of life on earth?

The challenge is embracing the true nature of science, not the present intellectually restricted philosophical naturalism that is currently dominating science. If science maintains the present encumbrance of naturalism it will never determine the origin of life, OoL.

Why? Because the detailed design and construction of life, even in the simplest initial form, is intelligently designed and irreducibly complex. The intelligent design is first found in the DNA multi-level information system found in every known organism. Second, the rest of the cellular structure that controls influx and efflux of critical elements and compounds that enable metabolism and reproduction is highly design and precisely constructed beyond the level possible by any naturalistic process.

Further, the coincidence, colocation, concentration and contamination mitigation of the critical elements required for biochemical assembly in the primordial Earth environment, and the homochiral amino acids and pentose sugars that construct proteins, RNA, DNA, enzymes, mitochondria and all other chemical structures in the cell are not possible to be assembled by any naturalistic process alone, further pointing to intelligent design.

Consequently, no naturalistic processes alone can form life. Any action by any science that only examines natural causes and effects, and refuses to objectively examine all possible mechanisms for the creation of life, will never solve the intractable issues related to OoL. The present chaotic mess of naturalistic OoL theories proves this is true. Therefore, the nature of science is critically important to study the OoL. 

Iwould say overuse ( but not 100% sure ) in the u.s. we tend to overuse water by leaving it running, throwing it away, taking long showers, etc.